THE WHISKY-MAD MANThis gentleman is seldom seen these days without a skinny tie, a pocket square and a bracing brown drink in his hand.

At an affordable $35 and with a gruff 28% contribution from rye grain, Bulleit Bourbon Frontier Whiskey makes an ideal everyday old fashioned base — you know, for the kind of guy who drinks old fashioneds just about daily. Comes in a package with a Wild West vibe (Bulleit bottles made terrific props on the TV series Deadwood) and is pronounced like the Steve McQueen movie Bullitt, both of which make it extra macho.

For the kind of gentleman who can’t decide between Canadian Club (a Don Draper favourite) and bourbon, there’s Canadian Club Sherry Cask ($35). A typically smooth Canadian whisky gets sent away to bourbon country in Kentucky to man up for a while in an oak cask, and then it comes back as a sort of flavour hybrid between Canadian whisky and bourbon. It’s sort of like a battlefield identity switch. And speaking of Don Draper, it simply belongs in (a) Manhattan.

A regular person might regard Ian Buxton’s 101 Whiskies to Try Before You Die (Hachette, $19.99) as a mere book, but to the whisky man it is a gauntlet thrown to the ground. Your whisky-mad man will resemble a whisky-mad boy as he flips the pages of the opinionated, pocket-sized volume. Watch as he plots the conquest of great whiskies from around the world, from everyman’s comforts like Crown Royal and Cutty Sark to tantalizing exotica including Japan’s Hibiki 30 Years Old.

You almost can’t go wrong buying the whisky fan a gift pack with samplings from a category he enjoys. If your giftee has ever indulged in Jameson, and he is worth $100 to you, the Jameson Reserve Gift Pack gives him 200 millilitres each of three of the Irish distillery’s higher-end bottlings. Think of it as a kit for all seasons: 12-year-old Jameson Reserve for ordinary days, Jameson Gold Reserve (94 points in Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible 2008) for bad ones, and Jameson 18 Year Old Limited Reserve for days that give him cause for celebration.

THE ALE ADVENTURERHe wanders for the best Weiss, flies another leg for the best lager and knows the terroir of beer better than you

Start by whetting the appetite with Hops and Glory (Pan MacMillan; $14.99), Pete Brown’s tale of carrying a cask of IPA the 18,000-mile journey from England to India. It’s a trail that your expert will know, but they’ll also appreciate you saving them the back-breaking effort.

With that foothold established, hit the wanderer where it hurts: Belgium. Try InBev’s Taste of Belgium gift pack ($19.95; LCBO 676494; three different glasses and one bottle each of Stella, Hoegaarden and Leffe. Or, in the same vein, but from vastly different barrels, try Innis & Gunn’s Oak Aged Beer gift pack ($14.95; LCBO 131789), which includes three oak barrel-aged Scottish brews, and a glass. Or if the drinker you’re buying for has a more refined palate — and their own collection of glassware ­— go for a Belgium-inspired bottle from Quebec: Try Dieu du Ciel’s Peche Mortel ($3.55/341ml bottle; LCBO 125401) a 9.5% imperial coffee stout that’s the perfect tipple for dreaming of exploring aging cellars with beer experts.

Finally, if your adventurer loves beer, but travelling more, go all the way and book a spot on a Guided Tour of Belgium’s Oldest Breweries ($3,175/all-inclusive, except airfare), which will be led by Toronto beer writer Stephen Beaumont. The trip takes place Feb. 26-Mar. 6, 2011, and covers world renowned producers in Bruges, Brussels, Antwerp and many more, and finishes up at the famed Zythos Beer Festival. For details and a full schedule, email karen.geard@marlintravel.ca or visit Beaumont’s beer blog, worldofbeer.wordpress.com.

THE STYLISH SIPPERLike what she wears, where she travels and how she decorates, her choice of wine is all about making a statement

Big spenders will want to know that Toronto’s ultra fashionable Teatro Verde just opened The Veuve Clicquot Boutique within its store, the first such boutique of its kind in Canada. Veuve items with the distinctive brilliant yellow include a wooden market umbrella ($250), six boxed trendy flutes ($120) and a lovely wave shaped bucket called the Vasque Prestige VCP ($1,195) which holds multiple bottles of Champagne. A bottle of Veuve Clicquot Brut ($65) or the spectacular La Grande Dame Brut Champagne 1998 ($239) is the natural accompaniment to these gifts.

Sanyo Slim Profile 45 bottle wine cooler ($500) is only 1.5 feet (45 cm) deep and has the great looks to fit in anywhere. Feature packed with slide-out wood racks, duo zone temperature, blue LED lighting and a brushed metal door frame, it’s designed to impress at an affordable price. Find it at Costco and other retailers across Canada.

For those working with smaller budgets, try the Trudeau Blink wine chiller maintains the chill of a wine without condensation or mess. The cool design allows it to open automatically when a bottle is lifted and close when a bottle is inserted ($44.95). While compact it can handle litre size and champagne bottles. The Art and Design of Contemporary Wine Labels by Tanya Scholes is an arty coffee table book that celebrates the look of wine through extensive interviews with the graphic designers and artists whose work graces the bottles ($45).

Malivoire Ladybug Rosé ($15.95) is a pretty wine in taste and in colour with an attractive label. Girls Night Out, a pleasant line of wines ($12.95) from Ontario’s Colio winery has a chardonnay that comes with a clutch gift set ($24.95). Chile’s Montes Cherub Rosé ($14.95) and New Zealand’s Kim Crawford Pansy! Rosé ($17.95) are for the gay at heart. Trend Wines, the result of a partnership with Canadian television hosts Steven Sabados and Chris Hyndman and Reif Estate Winery are designed to be fabulous ($13.95). Rogers Chocolates from Victoria has a line of icewine truffles and bars available on rogerscholoates.com for those who prefer to nibble their wine.

THE PILSNER PURISTSuds savants are early adopters, and they’re also tricky to shop for, since they think they’ve tried everything

Impress them with your own knowledge by giving Randy Mosher’s Tasting Beer (Thomas Allen & Son, $21.50). Published last year, this veritable beer bible covers every topic imaginable, from the history of different European and American types to how to taste and judge, all fully indexed and chock-full of illustrations and diagrams. You can balance the book’s U.S. and European focus with some Canadian content in the form of a subscription to TAPS Magazine ($25/year). This quarterly focuses on North America, but is based in Canada, and will take the average beer nerd to the forefront of hops development and all kinds of ale esoteria, from home-brewing to beer-based tourism, that makes scant sense to Joe Canadian.

If your beer geek is all kitted out with Portland, Ore., craft brew T-shirts and Brew Dog posters, appeal to their style side with one-of-a-kind Malty Wallets ($12) and nifty Round of Beer carry bags ($12) that hold six bottles (included over-sized ones). Both products are by BrewersCRAP or Craftbrewers Recycled Art Project, a side gig of F&M brewer George Eagleson and his wife, Hannah. Both products are handmade from recycled malt bags and they’re available on Etsy or at brewerscrap.com.

If you’ve got a home brewer on your hands, try homebrewersretail.com for specialty hops and grains, as well as starter kits and links to home-brew workshops. They’re based in Whitby, Ont., near Toronto, so gauge your shipping times accordingly. And while you’re at it, pick up a copy of Clone Brews (Storey Publishing; $23.95) which contains more than 200 “recipes” for making your own versions of commercial big-brand beer. And to add a nice twist to the gift, stuff those packs of malt or hops into one of Terry Craig’s unique beer bottle glasses, where the glass blowing artisan takes an empty, such as Steam Whistle, Mill St. or Sol bottle, and opens the neck up to make it into a mug. Craig will be at the One-of-a-Kind Show in Toronto beginning Nov. 25, but you can also visit artechstudios.ca to order directly or find a retailer in your area. Glasses retail for between $15-$25/apiece.

• Finally, if you really want to impress the hop heart of an avant-garde aficionado, try a six pack of Oregon’s Rogue Dead Guy Ale ($15.95; LCBO 80150) followed by a rigorous discussion of the merits of spending a week travelling the Yakima Valley in Washington state – where most of North America’s hop crop comes from (go-washington.com/Yakima). After all, we are now less than a year away from the region’s aptly named annual beer festival. (freshhopalefestival.com).

THE EASY IMBIBERShe knows what vintages she likes and likes the wines she knows. Forget the fuss and let’s not pontificate — let’s drink!

Inexperienced drinkers can have one too many before they know it. A gift of the portable BAQ Tracker (baqtracker.com) by Ladybug Teknologies will ensure they never have to fear a driver spot-check ($299.99).

Little items like the Dalla Piazza Lustro Foil Cutter ($10) and the Dalla Piazza Lustro Wine Bottle Stopper ($10.95), available through the Wine Establishment and other retailers, are attractive and useful items for all. Trudeau’s Twist adds a ceremonial feel to the opening of screw cap enclosures ($12.95). The remover fits on top of the bottle hiding the cap – a simple push releases it. The Tourist Town Guide to Niagara Falls ($14.95) tells all the fun things to do in Niagara including a short section of wine country.

Wine by Joe Really Good Pinot Gris 2007 ($18.95) from Oregon is full of taste with easy to enjoy upfront fruit. Dr. L Riesling 2009 ($13.95) is a fresh, slightly racy off-dry German white that’s lower alcohol (9.5 per cent) than many wines. Southbrook Winery’s organic and bio-dynamic vineyards with sheep that keep the rows of vines clear of weeds produce a whole range of top notch wines. Their Matchmaker line ($14 to $19) is geared for good friends, good times and casual dining. Niagara’s Sibling Rivalry line ($13.95) from the three Speck brothers of Henry of Pelham Winery is a blend that pokes good fun at brotherly competition. B.C.’s Joie Farm wines are joyfully flavourful. In southern Okanagan, Road 13 Honest Johns wines ($15-$17) are honestly good. And if your friend has an earthy sense of humour buy a bottle of Fat Bastard from southern France ($14.95) or Cat’s Pee on a Gooseberry Bush ($13) from New Zealand. Finally, if you don’t have a clue what to buy — there are always gift cards sold by liquor outlets or at on-line wine purveyors such as wineonline.ca.

THE GLAMOUR GIRLShe loves bottle service, drinks cosmopolitans like it’s 1999, and wants that vodka to come in a pretty bottle

Absolut’s limited edition Glimmer bottle recalls the cut-glass decanters of yore, adding an air of elegance to even a small home bar for just $25-$28. We probably don’t need to remind you that your giftee could keep this scintillating bottle around the house for years, refilling it over and over again as needed, but it’s worth mentioning it on the card.

There’s been a sort of mini-trend around special shiny bottles for the holiday season (for example, fashion designer Christan Lacroix came up with a baroquely glam litre-and-a-half bottle for Chivas Regal blended Scotch; it certainly makes an impression for $150-$190). There’s bound to be a person in your life who would be glad to receive a chromed-out bottle of Belvedere vodka, one of the more upscale brands ($47). Hint: A shiny container allows one to admire one’s reflection.

We normally do not approve of flavoured vodkas around here — if you want a drink to taste like orange, use an orange, and so on. But as a means of harm prevention, if one of your giftees is going to drink flavoured ethanol-water anyway, we recommend steering her away from horrors like bubble gum or root beer vodka and toward something a little classier. Enter Grey Goose. The most intriguing — and, frankly, impressive — of the French vodka brand’s flavours is La Poire, $48, which smells exactly like the first moment your tooth breaks through the skin of a juicy anjou pear.

If you were in a snarky mood, you might dismiss Hennessy Black ($75) and its ridiculously named arch-rival Courvoisier Exclusif ($70) as “beginner Cognacs” since they were both created for relatively uninitiated markets — Japan in the Courvoisier’s case and the urban club scene in the Hennessy’s. But each is a fine product in its own right, both being relatively exuberant, flavourful Cognacs that work well in cocktails. Even when the name and packaging are meant to attract the bottle service crowd, something in the French psyche seems to prevent them from going the cynical route and selling a bad product.

The girly cocktail can be a source of great joy when done properly, but few can or will teach a woman how to accomplish that. To the rescue comes Danny Meyer’s mini-empire of New York restaurants, whose menus form the basis of Mix Shake Stir (Hachette, $32.99). It’s a veritable bouquet of mostly dainty recipes from establishments including the Gramercy Tavern and the Union Square Café. Your giftee may experience the making of the cherry blossom sling, hibiscus mojito or coming up roses (with actual rose petals) as a daunting kitchen challenge, but this book could be the gateway to a rewarding home bartending habit.

THE CONNOISSEURHe already has a cellar, as well as an encyclopedic knowledge of exactly when every last bottle in it ought to be enjoyed

The higher end of things, iconic wines always make good additions to even the best wine cellar. Nothing beats a first growth Bordeaux, but expect to shell out. The sensation Chateau Mouton-Rothschild 2006 is selling in our market for $849. From Burgundy you can find the collector’s bottle Domaine de la Romanée-Conti La Tache 2007 for $695. California’s Napa also offers impressive reds. Joseph Phelps Insignia 2006 can be had for around $549 but don’t feel shy about buying the regular Joseph Phelps Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 for $74.95 — it’s rich, full and delicious. Italy produces a treasure trove of great reds. The most renowned are the Barolo, Brunello, Chianti Classico and Amarone wines. You can’t go wrong with a Ruffino Ducale Oro Chianti Classico Reserva 2005 ($43.95) or a top of the line Masi or Zenato Amarone ($60 to $80.).

For a patriotic choice consider British Columbia’s Laughing Stock Portfolio 2008 ($40), a gold medal winning Bordeaux blend from the Okanagan. Stratus has available online to Ontario residents a vertical collection of three consecutive vintages of Stratus Red from 2007, 2006 and 2005 ($146).

The Sub-Zero Wine Storage Line is a prestigious way to keep wine at ideal temperatures. Sub-Zero 424G is their most compact wine storage unit with two temperature zones and space for up to 46 bottles ($3,999). The largest unit houses up to 147 bottles ($8,299).

If the budget’s an issue, check out the book Guilt-Free Drinking: why a diet of including wine, beer and spirits is not bad for your health by Robert Beardsmore sold on Amazon’s UK website (amazon.co.uk). The book is obviously aimed at people who like a drink, and it looks at the scientific evidence and presents some encouraging facts and figures.

You can shop online at the Wine Establishment (thewineestablishment.com) for a tremendous selection of wine gifts and get them delivered anywhere in Canada. The Trudeau transparent aerator with dripless spout features an air intake system that’s like decanting by the glass made easy ($24.95).

And if your connoisseur has a sense of humour, go for Ontario’s Megalomaniac wines, such as SonOfaBitch Pinot Noir ($24.95) or Coldhearted Riesling Icewine ($29.95).

THE ENTERTAINERYour mixology-mad friend feels she can get away with just a few more items on the home bar before it topples over

For not much more than a standard bottle of Bacardi Superior, the Bacardi Gift Set ($35) also includes all the tools a home bartender will need to whip up mojitos, daiquiris and other classics, whether or not they include rum. Even if your giftee already has a lime squeezer, muddler, bar spoon, jiggers and so on, it’s always helpful to have spares when there’s company.

Speaking of home entertaining and rum, Bacardi and Havana Club make tasty enough basic whites, but El Dorado Deluxe Silver ($35) offers the home bartender a kind of secret weapon. Take it from someone who has come to rely on the gently fruity, silkily textured rum: Even served as simply and boldly as possible, for example in a ti-punch or traditional shaken daiquiri, this Guyanese six-year-old has the power to convert skeptics to the very idea of rum. Home mixologists value that kind of versatility.

London-based mixologist (and daiquiri fanatic) Simon Difford has probably published more individual drink recipes than any person living or dead. The full, 2,600-recipe Difford’s Encyclopedia of Cocktails (Firefly, $45) serves as a terrific bar-side reference, but may be a bit much for your wallet or his bar shelves. More recently, Firefly has published the more compact but still encyclopedic Cocktails Made Easy ($29.95) with a mere 500 drinks for the entertainer to try on guests.

If there is such a thing as house porn and food porn and gardening porn, then surely cocktail geeks must have some way to drink in explicit displays of dauntingly perfect-looking mixology? Indeed they do, in the pages of Food & Wine Cocktails 2010 ($14.95). Get your hosting-happy friend drooling over Food & Wine magazine’s annual roundup of cocktails, each looking brighter and sexier than he ever dared dream possible, styled and impeccably garnished and all tarted up in gorgeous glassware. Aspirational fodder plus snack recipes.

THE STUBBY SAVANTCoax him through the craft brew portal by appealing to that sense of nostalgia for the days when good beer was common

Prime the pump with a colourful romp through Canada’s brewing history. Ian Coutts’ Brew North: How Canadians Made Beer and Beer made Canada (Greystone Books, $24.95), would be recommendable solely on its impressive graphic archive throughout of vintage beer photos, logos, vehicles and bottles. Coutts, however, also traces the history of the beverage here from the earliest days of John Molson’s fateful trip to England in the 18th century to the craft revivals in B.C., Quebec and Ontario of the 1980s and ’90s. Armed with that lager lineage, it’ll be easier for you to explain …

The Fall Discovery Six Pack from the Ontario Craft Brewers ($11.95; LCBO 206839). (In B.C., Quebec or Atlantic Canada? Try Surrey’s Central City, Montreal’s McAuslan’s St. Ambroise Pale Ale or something from Halifax’s Propeller, respectively). The goal here is to reintroduce the idea that flavour matters in a beer (beyond just, umm, coldness), but that it doesn’t have to pack a punch like an Australian Shiraz, either. The discovery pack includes a perfect beer for that exercise: Black Oak Pale Ale, a beer that should remind any old-timer of fresh-tasting keg ale from the ’60s, with some hops snuck in to keep things interesting. Beau’s Lugtread Lagered Ale ($15.60; LCBO 169334) is also a gateway beer of sorts, and comes in packs of four 600mL bottles, a size that will inevitably remind the savant of quart-sized beers of yore. This ale is smooth from the cold aging, but made with all-organic ingredients, and thus has the same effect on some traditionalists as eating a farm-fresh egg. “This tastes the way it did when I was a kid!”

It’s true most traditionalists prefer to enjoy their pints in the comfort of their own home bars. So try visiting the U.S. site beersodasports.com, where they have vintage tap handles (less than $60), all sorts of vintage beer posters, including some Canadian ones, mats, glassware, and more. Just because they don’t drink Old Vienna anymore doesn’t mean they shouldn’t celebrate the heritage. And if you find Mr. Stubby enjoying that craft stuff more and more? Try taking him out to visit a small brewery. Most will accommodate a tour or short demo if you call ahead and schedule, and the visits are usually free of charge. Visit ontariocraftbrewers.com if you’re in Ontario, for more addresses and details.

Have a gift idea for a liquor, wine or beer aficionado that we didn’t come across here? Feel free to share it with other readers in the comments section below.